Benson Station

Not only the local Amtrak stop for going west to Tucson or northeast to Chicago and southeaast to New Orleans, the old Benson Station is now the visitor's center. A perfect place for a box lunch is right outside in a nice pergola, next to the murals paying homage to the desert southwest, local history, and trains.

All the locals know that this is just a stop location for Amtrak. However, I recently took the Amtrak to San Antonio and I was very pleased. Riding the train is a mix between taking the Greyhound and flying. The coach seats have plenty of room, the train has a cafe as well as a dining car. If you are like me and REFUSE to "Go Greyhound" but can't afford to take a flight to your destination, Amtrak is definitely the way to go. Just watch out for the cafe burgers and pizza rolls - you'll spend a lot of time getting to know the restrooms afterward. It's like eating the gourmet burgers at your local Exxon station.

Small, as the Amtrak has to move forward twice to pick up everyone. It is a good place for railfanning, though, and freights come through quite often.

The “Bus Stop”, as the locals call it, was not the worst Amtrak station.

Nice area to wait for the train

Just a train stop.